A stent is a medical device introduced into a body lumen and is well known in the art. A stent is typically delivered in an unexpanded state to a desired location in a bodily lumen and then expanded by an internal radial force. Stents, grafts, stent-grafts, vena cava filters, expandable frameworks, and similar implantable medical devices, collectively referred to hereinafter as stents, are radially expandable endoprostheses, which are typically intravascular implants capable of being implanted transluminally.
Stents have previously been introduced into the trachea when the airway is constricted due to tumor compression, stenosis, and the like. A self-expanding stent can apply pressure outward from the lumen of the stent to the trachea wall to remove the airway constriction. However, these stents may be impermeable or may entirely cover the inside of the trachea, including the cilia that move mucous and inhaled particles upward toward the epiglottis, where the mucous or particles are either swallowed or coughed up. When covered, the cilia are unable to help remove the mucous and other particles from the respiratory system, which can result in the build up of phlegm, halitosis, and excessive coughing in the respiratory tract. Such coughing may also cause displacement of the stent within the trachea.